Pores are the small openings attached to your hair follicles that help sweat and oil reach the surface. While genetics are mainly to blame for their size, pores can become enlarged due to decreased elasticity, excessive sebum production, and clogs. Although you can’t permanently shrink them, there are some steps you can take to minimize their appearance in a healthy manner. 

Prevention 

Hydrate
Drinking enough water each day will help hydrate your skin while also removing toxins, helping to improve your complexion from the inside out. 

Hands off
Unless applying your skin care routine, keep your hands off your face and definitely don’t pick at your skin. The bacteria on your fingertips will only make things worse. 

Add these to your routine 

Cleanser
You should be washing your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser. This will help remove the dead skin cells, excess oil, dirt and makeup that can clog your skin. Also, no matter how tired you are, never go to bed with makeup on. 

Clay Masks
Clay absorbs oil, so using a clay mask once or twice a week helps to remove the excess sebum on your skin preventing build ups. 

Exfoliating acids
Using an exfoliating acid a few times a week such as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) help remove the dirt, excess oil, and pollutants, while increasing cell turnover. 

Moisturizer
When your skin is moisturized, it decreases its oil production, eliminating a build up of oil. 

Vitamin C Serum 
A preventative tool, Vitamin C helps to repair sun damage while also increasing the production of elastin and collagen. Using this serum with your NanoPen increases its effectiveness by 10-20x. 

Retinol
Retinol not only speeds up your skin’s collagen production, which increases its elasticity to minimize pore size, it also decreases oil production

Sunscreen 
Protecting your skin from the sun is important, because UV rays break down your collagen production, which in turn stretches out your skin.